adidas presents the
1999 USA Winter Cross Country National Championships
Men's 12k Race Recap
The men's 12k race is scheduled to begin at 11:15 am Sunday February 14th. Race Recap will be posted ASAP following the conclusion of the race.
1999 USA CROSS COUNTRY CHAMPIONSHIPS LAKE SPANAWAY GOLD COURSE - TACOMA, WA SUNDAY, FEBRUARY 14, 1999 SENIOR MEN - 11,865 METERS 1. Alan Culpepper adidas 34:23 2. Tony Cosey adidas 34:30 3. Dan Middleman New York AC 34:31 4. Rodney DeHaven New Balance 34:34 5. Gary Stolz Farm Team 34:35 6. Clint Wells Native American Sports Council 34:36 7. Ray Appenheimer Farm Team 34:37 8. Chriss Graff Reebok Enclave 34:42 9. Bryan Spoonire Reebok Enclave 34:43 10. Scott Strand New Balance 34:46 11. Peter Sherry Reebok Enclave 34:54 12. Michael Donnelly New Balance 34:56 13. Eric Mack Boulder, CO 34:57 14. Todd Williams adidas 34:58 15. Andre Williams Reebok Enclave 34:59 RACE CONDITIONS: Cloudy with light fog - temp: 39 degrees. Race course mostly flat with good footing. RACE IN REVIEW: A large field of 96 started this race in foggy-chilly weather. At one kilometer, Ray Appenheimer was setting the pace at the front of a huge pack. The first mile was past in 4:46, and the two kilometer mark was passed in 5:45, with Meb Keflezighi and Appenheimer leading the charge. At four kilometers (11:35), the lead pack was still large with Eric Mack, Scott Larson and Ray Appenheimer together at the front. The leaders past five kilometers in 14:40, with Tony Cosey doing the work at the lead of a continuing large pack. At six kilometers (17:30), a group of four at the front seemed to be asserting themselves: Eric Mack, Alan Culpepper, Ray Appenheimer and Tony Cosey, but a pack of 22 was still close behind. At eight kilometers (23:18), as the sun tried to shine through the clearing fog, Alan Culpepper now had a four second lead over Scott Larson and Brian Spoonire, who in turn were three seconds in front of a pack of 12. At 10 kilometers, it was Culpepper (29:05) in front by seven seconds with a pack of five behind: Cosey, Appenheimer, Dan Middleman, Rod DeHaven and Gary Stolz. Culpepper gradually extended his lead to win decisively, with Cosey moving up considerably in the 11th kilometer to finish as the runnerup. NOTES 'N' QUOTES: Alan Culpepper, who trains with Scott Larson, Mark Coogan, Peter Julian and Adam Goucher in Boulder, Colo., won his first ever U.S. cross country title in convincing fashion this afternoon over a talented field. The NCAA champion at 5000 meters as a senior at Colorado, Culpepper place tenth in that event at the 1996 U.S. Olympic Trials in Atlanta. Culpepper finished second at the 1997 U.S. Outdoor Championships in the 5000 meters, and finished that season ranked second in the U.S. at that distance. Married to standout middle distance runner Shayne Culpepper. He missed securing a spot on the U.S. cross county team by one spot last season. He owns a graphic design business named Culpepper Mill that produces shirt designs for road races, as well as business cards. Alan Culpepper: "I felt good early although there's always a few, crazy things that go through your head early in a race. As soon as I went, I started feeling better. My stomach was hurting a little bit early. The last two laps were a long two laps (running by myself). (Surprised by today's finish?) I'm getting better and better in cross country, it was never a forte in the past. After last year and missing the U.S. team by one place, I learned I needed to be up in it at the front to win. (About the wooden bowls given to the winners), It'll come in handy because I didn't get Shayne (his wife, and fourth in the women's 4K race Sunday) a very nice Valentine's Day present, so it'll look good at home. After she qualified before me today, I kept saying, 'Just make the team, so we can go together.' After today, I'll back off for a week, then regroup and get ready for World's, and that will lead into outdoors. I think I'll do one 10K this year, but this changes things too. I was thinking originally about doing it at Mt. SAC, but I may push it back now to the summer. I'm looking forward to going back to Europe and I learned a lot there last year." Tony Cosey: "I took the lead in the middle trying to string it out - it wasn't a major move but more working with Alan since I knew he felt good too. Usually in that middle part, people tend to back off. But then with 2K to go, I had fallen back to 30 meters behind that second group. I said to myself at that point I had trained to hard to go out like this, not without a fight. I also set it up, I was passing people on the back hill, so when we got close, I knew I had to just stay close, and on that hill I passed everybody and even put a gap on it. Coming off the hill, Dan Middleman came up and I keyed off him, and with 300 meters left I tried to take off after Alan - I made up some serious ground, but not enough. Coming in, the past years I've had some kind of injury, but this year I had a really solid year of base training ... I came in with 20 weeks of solid base training, so I'm a lot stronger and it's paying off. I'm looking forward to outdoors and getting some good marks like going sub 8:20 in the steeplechase - I was in that shape last year. Last year it was more trying to get into the right race which didn't work out, so this year when I go 8:15, people will probably say, 'What's he on?'. Training with Todd Williams has also really helped me - he's been dealing with some injuries and stuff, so I've even been wearing him out in practice, so that has to give you some confidence. (Looking ahead to the World Championships) Anytime you can break the top 50, you've done a good job. For being my first year there, that would be good for me. Adam was top 30 there last year. Part of it comes down to handling pressure and I'm good at handling pressure. It's just a matter of if you're fit or not, and I'm fit."

 

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